An attempted media hit on a senior Trump official backfired spectacularly Tuesday after critics quickly turned the spotlight back on the reporter behind it.
Julia Davis, a self-proclaimed “Russia analyst” and consistent critic of President Donald Trump, published an “exclusive” with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) highlighting that Sergio Gor, Trump’s Director of Presidential Personnel, was born in the former Soviet Union. Davis posted a link to the article on X (formerly Twitter) with the dramatic caption:
“Exclusive: Top Trump Adviser Sergio Gor Was Born In the Soviet Union.”
But the attempted smear unraveled almost immediately—not because the details were false, but because the messenger herself shares the exact same background.
Davis, it turns out, was also born in the Soviet Union—something not lost on social media users. Critics swiftly pointed out the hypocrisy of painting Gor’s birth country as suspicious while Davis has the same origin.
“So are we saying now that everybody from the former Soviet Union is what? What’s your point?” one user posted.
“What a self-hating thing to say,” another added.
The OCCRP report attempted to frame Gor’s background as secretive, noting he had avoided disclosing his birthplace and had once stated he was “not born in Russia.” In fact, Gor was born in 1986 in Tashkent, then part of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic, now modern-day Uzbekistan. He later lived in Malta before immigrating to the U.S. as a child.
Exclusive: Top Trump Adviser Sergio Gor Was Born In the Soviet Union https://t.co/RtjXFH98EN
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) July 8, 2025
Far from being a shadowy figure, Gor, now 38, has spent decades in Republican politics. He served under Senator Rand Paul, joined Paul on a policy trip to Moscow in 2018, and played a central role in Trump’s 2020 campaign fundraising efforts. He is also the co-founder of Winning Team Publishing with Donald Trump Jr., and currently holds significant influence over staffing for Trump’s second-term administration.
Just like you !
Julia Davis was born in the Soviet Union in Kyiv on May 16, 1974. She later moved to the United States, where she established herself as a journalist and media analyst
— julius 🇳🇱 (@julius773436) July 8, 2025
The smear attempt appears to have been designed to sow suspicion through innuendo, using Gor’s Soviet birth as a dog whistle. But given his well-documented U.S. career and longstanding affiliations with high-profile GOP figures, the implication fell flat—and reflected more on the reporter than the target.
Julia, it seems like you are too. So are we saying now that everybody from the former Soviet Union is what? What’s your point What is it you’re trying to convey. Because what I’m getting from you is we shouldn’t trust you or anybody else from Russia, What a self hating thing say
— R. Henson 🇺🇸🇮🇱 (@_RHenson_) July 8, 2025
Even as OCCRP tried to cast Gor’s past as a mystery, no evidence was provided linking him to wrongdoing or foreign influence. The backlash revealed a growing impatience with political hit pieces based on background rather than behavior.
